Looking for the Light in the Dark
by ruvy91
Summary: Derek was alone and he hated it. He finally decided to build a pack of his own and sometimes he thinks he got more than he bargained for. AU, Fae!Stiles, Everyone Lives. Part 1 in Magic in the Air Series
1. The Pack

Derek was alone in the world and now that he was an alpha he decided to do something about it.

It started with an awkward asthmatic kid that looked like he could benefit from the bite; and he did. Before Scott McCall was a nobody and now he was co-captain of the Lacrosse team, his asthma no longer an issue, and girls began taking notice of him.

One thing Derek didn't count on was the boy's reaction to being turned. It had benefitted his life in so many ways but when Derek explained everything, the teen had flipped out on him. Scott was freaked out about how he could hurt someone and he never asked for this. After telling the boy that he could teach him control, Scott reluctantly joined Derek's pack on the condition that if he continued recruiting he would ask permission and explain the pros and cons to the potential pack member.

Another unexpected thing that came with Scott joining his pack was the kid's best friend. Scott apparently didn't get the memo of don't tell others that you have superior senses and change on the full moon. The lanky brunet did nothing but annoy Derek but for some reason he helped Scott gain control in a way he couldn't. Derek realized the potential this kid had and reluctantly accepted Stiles (seriously what is a Stiles) as a human part of the pack.

The next addition was a reluctant decision. While Scott had been learning control he alerted the suspicions of a classmate that something had happened to him. When Jackson finally figured out that Scott was a lycanthrope (the connotation associated with werewolf is demeaning to those who are born) he went to Derek and threatened exposure if he wasn't turned. Seeing no other way out of it, Derek bit the teen.

One thing Derek didn't think of was how the rest of the pack would react to a new member. Scott, the young puppy he was, rolled with it once he knew Jackson volunteered for the bite. The problem was Stiles.

It all culminated in a screaming match that ended with Derek yelling, "Fine! Why don't you choose the pack candidates!"

"Wow there is intelligence in there, I'll take the job." The brunet answered smugly, like that was his goal all along.

"What no." Derek said quickly realizing he had been played. Jackson was spluttering in the background and before Derek could work up an argument Stiles had left. Derek looked to Scott hoping the kid would help.

"Don't bother, you've lost. Besides would it be so bad having Stiles pick who joins." Scott answered with a mysterious smile.

Derek soon understood why Stiles had been so against Jackson joining the pack. The teen was an overprivleged stuck up brat. He was constantly complaining about one inane matter or another. The thing that cropped up the most was that for some reason his car kept breaking down. When the douche nozzle (as Stiles liked to call him under his breath) kept complaining about how his father was going to stop paying for repairs, Derek volunteered to look at it; worse mistake ever. The stupid expensive thing kept breaking down in the most exotic ways.

This wasn't the only strange happening going on in Beacon Hills. The town was suddenly being plagued with a series of random pranks, the high school seeming to be ground zero for most of them. Coach Finstock's office had been rid of all nails causing anything held together by one to fall apart. The new Principle often found himself locked out of his office despite having his keys on him. The person plagued most by the mysterious prankster was the Biology teacher Mr. Harris. According to the pack every time he went to sit down his chair moved out from under him.

One day when Derek went to meet Stiles because the teen said he had a line on a potential pack member he saw the teacher muttering darkly as he came out of a bathroom his face electric blue.

Derek quickly found Stiles in the library looking over a small leather bound journal that he carried with him everywhere.

"I've been meaning to ask, what's that journal?" Derek asked.

"It was my mother's. She gave it to my father to give to me on my 18th birthday. I came across it a few weeks ago when I was cleaning the house and he gave it to me considering my birthday is just a few months away." Stiles answered closing it.

"Alright potential pack member is over there" Stiles said pointing to a blonde girl across the library. She had her face buried in a book and sat isolated from anyone else in the library.

"Her name is Erica Reyes, she's a junior like me, Scott and Jackson. She suffers from epilepsy and you've said that the bite rids humans of any medical condition. Well I'm fairly certain she'd like to go the rest of her life without another seizure." Stiles explained.

"You do know that she'll change twice a month rather than once." Derek commented.

"Hmm well we'll have to make sure she knows that as well" Stiles replied.

"We?" Derek asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah we, it'll be less creepy if someone she actually knows is there when you approach." Stiles said and stood up, backpack and journal in hand.

They walked over to Erica and Stiles introduced her to Derek. Derek was nervous as he spoke because this was the first time he was actively recruiting someone into his pack. He was suddenly grateful Stiles had insisted in doing this with him because the teen was a master at steering the conversation to where it needed to go. Once Erica heard the words 'no more seizures' her face brightened and heart raced. Even with the information as to the negatives of being a lycanthrope (nope, werewolf is still offensive) she couldn't say yes fast enough.

Stiles and Derek left Erica, who was practically buzzing with excitement, planning on having her come over to the loft later that night because let's face it biting someone in a public place is not the smartest thing to do.

The next few weeks were busy, preparations for the new pack members' first full moon were made and Stiles was being strangely inquisitive about his family.

After the third questioning Derek was fed up.

"Stiles what gives?! I don't like talking about the past, especially this. You don't see me asking 20 questions about your mom" Derek snapped and instantly regretted his words.

"Look I'm sorry, I didn't mean it – I" Derek apologized quickly, wanting the pain in Stiles eyes to go away.

"No, it's cool. I sometimes don't know when to leave things alone. My questions will make sense after the full moon. And you can ask, you know…about my mom" Stiles said quietly, staring at his mother's journal that never left his side.

"Hey if anyone knows what it's like to lose someone you love, it's me" Derek said sitting down on the couch next to Stiles. Stiles smiled at him and for some reason it made Derek's heart flutter.

"So what was she like, your mom?" Stiles asked. Derek sighed and started talking. They went late into the night exchanging childhood stories about the women who brought them into the world and how remarkably similar they were while being vastly different.

Derek got caught up in the stress of keeping the pack under control during the full moon that he completely forgot about why Stiles inquired about his family. Three days after the moon, Derek was sitting in the loft reading a book when Stiles approached, a huge grin on his face.

"Hey man I have a surprise for you" the lanky brunet said when Derek looked up from the book. Just then a dark haired girl walked into the room and it took him a few seconds to recognize her.

"Cora?" Derek asked not believing his eyes.

"Yeah Derek" she said with a half-smile. Derek dropped his book on the couch and quickly crossed the room, sweeping his little sister in a crushing hug.

"I thought you were in the fire" Derek said quietly into her hair (no way was he crying, nope, just the trick of the light).

"Uncle Peter got us out." Cora answered in a sad tone.

"Stiles how did you find her?" Derek asked when he noticed Stiles leaving the room.

"Back when you turned Scott I started doing research online and came across this forum where she was correcting lore. We started talking and well I put a few things together and here we are." Stiles explained nervously.

"Thank you" Derek said a smile breaking across his face as he held his baby sister.

"No problem dude" Stiles replied and left.

After the initial reunion, Cora told Derek how their Uncle Peter had got her out of the fire and suffered severe burns. They had been chased by the hunter who had started the fire and only lost her by taking refuge in the river. Peter had then relocated himself and Cora across the country in upstate New York where Peter fell in love with the alpha of another pack. They had a good life until a month before a bunch of hunters came into town and killed their new pack. Cora had survived because Peter distracted them while she ran away. By the time she started talking to Stiles she had been picked up on the streets of New York City and placed in foster care.

The pack welcomed Cora warmly, especially Erica who was glad not to be the only girl. The loft felt more alive now that Cora was living with him and the pack felt more welcome coming over. They fell into a routine that made the place feel like a home. The pack would come over after school and Lacrosse practice, Stiles would immediately descend on the kitchen with the girls complaining loudly that Derek needed to get a bigger fridge so they wouldn't have to go grocery shopping so often. Dinner was always delicious and playful, stories of the latest act the mysterious prankster committed passing around the table.

One night Erica brought up a point that Derek had completely forgotten about in the domestic bliss.

"We're always looking for new members of the pack right?" the blonde asked as she passed Derek the homemade rolls Stiles had labored over.

"Yeah, I suppose who did you have in mind?" Derek asked, figuring if it was discussed over dinner there would be no problems with anyone.

"This guy Boyd. He was talking to me today saying how lonely his life was and it kind of felt worthless. It reminded me of how I felt before I joined." Erica said not really meeting Derek's eyes.

"I know who you're talking about, he's pretty cool and I wouldn't mind him joining" Cora piped in. Scott made some happy puppy noises (seriously is he trying to go for being mistaken for a dog) and Jackson grunted noncommittally. The only person he hadn't heard from was Stiles, so Derek looked across the table to see the brunet smile and nod.

"Alright I'll talk to him tomorrow and see if he'd like to join." Derek said casually. Cora looked between Derek and Stiles a curious expression crossing her face but Derek decided to let it go.

Later that evening after everyone else had left Derek overheard a whispered conversation between Cora and Stiles as they cleaned up the kitchen.

"Stiles this is childish, you need to tell him" he barely heard Cora say over excessively loud clinking of dishes.

"I don't see why we have to bother him with this information" Stiles whispered back.

"Stiles" Cora said in a tone that Derek knew she was staring the skinny brunet down.

"I'll tell him eventually, just not now" Stiles promised.

Derek didn't like what he had overheard; the conclusion his mind came to was that Stiles was in a secret relationship with his baby sister and for some reason that hurt (hurt because they didn't want to tell him, not because he has feelings for Stiles. Nope na-uh definitely not).

Boyd seamlessly joined pack life to no one's surprise. Derek often wondered what was going on when he saw him and Erica together, but he wasn't going to say anything, far be it for him to ruin someone else's chances at love. He was quite helpful and even took to fixing Jackson's car when Derek was fed up with it.

What confused Derek the most was when Stiles came to him one day with a fevered argument to let the youngest of the local hunters join the pack. Scott and Jackson who had been talking nonstop about this girl for the past few weeks immediately joined in and Derek caved with conditions (let's face it the puppies would have made his life hell if he didn't).

Derek was on edge the first time Allison came over for a pack meet, but soon found out that she could be useful. After that first meeting he knew more about hunter dynamics. After a few meetings Allison proved her loyalty to the pack when she brought an usb drive her grandfather kept close at all times.

Come to find out the drive was the Argent clan's bestiary. Stiles was ecstatic to get his hands on it, however his excitement turned to frustration when he found the thing encrypted beyond the old man's ability. And that's how Danny and Lydia joined the pack. For some reason Stiles knew that Danny had a record for hacking and bugged Jackson until he called Danny up to help decrypt the bestiary. That however was the first hurdle. The bestiary was in an obscure version of Latin that for some reason Jackson's ex Lydia knew how to read.

They got their hands on it just in time for a bunch of ghouls to start desecrating graves in the Beacon Hills Cemetery. Stiles for some reason had decided to join Derek one night for patrol and just their luck they found some ghouls. Thankfully Stiles actually listened to Derek as he ran after the fleeing creatures and stayed behind. The damned things got away from the wolf (how could they be that fast, maybe Stiles should do some more research) and Derek went back to where he left the teen.

He was not prepared for what he saw next. Stiles was standing in front of another teen that was cowering by a backhoe, his expression one of intense anger his eyes dark. Thanks to his superior vision Derek could tell that the normally amber eyes had turned a dark green that could have been mistaken for black in the low light. The most shocking thing was when Stiles raised his hand palm up an older man that was clearly the cowering teen's father floated 30 feet into the air.

"Stiles!" Derek yelled out. Stiles' concentration on the man broke and his eyes returned to their normal color as they went wide, clearly Derek wasn't meant to see that. The man Stiles had floated into the air suddenly fell to the ground and screamed out in pain, Derek definitely heard the snapping of a few bones when he landed. Derek rushed forward and after making sure the man was still breathing he turned to Stiles.

"What the hell was that?" Derek asked firmly. Stiles looked like he was about to run but his feet were firmly planted.

"You know what, you can tell me on the way to the hospital. Luckily you didn't break his back" Derek commanded.

"Fine but we're taking Gaila, your phallic compensation is too small for all of us" Stiles said in an even tone. Derek picked up the unconscious man then leveled a look at the scared teen.

"You're coming too. You've seen too much for me to be comfortable letting you out of my sight" Derek ordered then started off in the direction of Stiles jeep.

They were on their way to the hospital, the man still unconscious laying in the back seat, his son sitting silently beside him. Derek was glaring at Stiles while he drove.

"I'm waiting" Derek said impatiently.

"Look I've been meaning to tell you but it was never the right time. You were helping the betas learn control, you were busy helping Cora get settled, you had your eyes on Allison, and then ghouls were terrorizing the town." Stiles started.

"You're evading Stiles."

"I'm not human, well not entirely." Stiles said quickly his eyes darting to Derek's face to gauge his reaction.

"You don't say" Derek replied sarcastically which caused Stiles to fight back a smile. "What are you then?"

"Fae, on my mother's side" Stiles answered.

"So am I the only one who knows?" Derek asked and the look on Stiles face tells him his answer. "Who else?"

"I didn't know Cora was your sister when I told her and I used my powers to prank Allison and she caught me" Stiles explained sheepishly.

"Prank Allison…Don't tell me you've been using your powers to prank all those people around town. Stiles. Stiles!" Derek demanded. Stiles managed to look guilty for a second before he started making excuses.

"Now here's the thing, besides tonight I have never used my powers to hurt anyone. I've just played a few harmless pranks on people who frankly deserved it."

"Please tell me you're not the reason Jackson's car keeps breaking down" Derek asked in a resigned tone. Stiles grinned his answer which made Derek scowl.

"Alright here's how it's going to go down. You're going to stop the pranks, because frankly they're childish and I'm tired of fixing that stupid car. And I'm smelling blood but I don't see him bleeding. You, are you injured?" Derek asked suddenly turning to look at the curly haired boy in the back seat.

"N-no" the teen said then pointed to Stiles.

"Stiles pull over and let me look at you."

Stiles did as ordered and turned in his seat finally looking straight at Derek. That's when Derek noticed the cut on the side of the brunet's head.

"You've got a bleeding head wound and you didn't tell me" Derek said shrugging out his leather jacket and pulling off his shirt.

"What?" Stiles asked as he touched the side of his head and winced. "Must have been the adrenalin."

"How did this happen?"

"I stayed behind like you so _politely_ asked and heard a commotion. I went to investigate and found that asshole about to beat him with a shovel" Stiles explained pointing from the still unconscious man to the curly haired teen as Derek pressed his shirt to the side of Stiles' head.

"Well I wasn't going to let that happen so I intervened in a completely normal way. I almost didn't sense the shovel coming for my head and was barely able to deflect it. I guess that's how this happened." Stiles finished gesturing to his head.

"Alright, just one last question. You're not secretly dating my little sister?"

"What, no. She's a great friend but totally not my type, too devious. I'm bad enough on my own, adding more to the pile is just asking for a disaster. Why do you ask?" Stiles asked nervously. Derek had noticed that the brunet's breathing and heart rate had increased and he was trying not to stare at Derek's shirtless torso.

"No reason, older brother's prerogative" Derek replied quickly. He lifted his now blood stained shirt from Stiles head, then pressed it back. "One thing's for sure, you're not driving anymore."

"Dude no! Gaila's my baby. I've seen how you drive, you'll hurt her." Stiles whined.

"Stiles I'm not taking no for an answer." Derek replied. Stiles pouted but relented with a muttered "Fine."

Soon they were back on the road with Derek driving.

"You're Isaac Lahey right?" Stiles asked turning to the curly haired teen in the backseat while holding Derek's shirt to his head.

"Yes" Isaac answered.

"Does your father get drunk and beat you often?" Stiles asked bluntly. Isaac opened his mouth to argue but closed it and sadly nodded.

"Hmm, Derek what do you think?" Stiles said sizing the kid up.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, he'd definitely benefit and would give him a family that actually gives a crap" Stiles argued.

"As long as he agrees" Derek replied as he continued to drive. Stiles smiled brightly and turned back to Isaac.

"So how would you like to be given the gift of strength, speed, super hearing and all around awesomeness." Stiles said a friendly tone. Isaac looked at him like he was crazy.

"There are some caveats and the possibility that your body isn't compatible, which ends in death; but if you are you'll have a way to defend yourself from most anything and a group of friends that are closer than family."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you becoming a werewolf" Stiles said brightly, which elicited a sour look from Derek (seriously Lycanthrope is a much better term).

"I don't believe you" Isaac said warily.

"Dude you just saw me do magic. I've confessed to not being completely human, which by the way can we keep to just us in the car. If you don't believe me, Derek demonstration please." Stiles explained with a flourish to Derek.

The alpha rolled his eyes and slowed the speed of the jeep before he sprouted claws and fangs, he even flashed his eyes for added effect. Derek could see Isaac's eyes go wide in the rearview mirror, and he changed back.

Stiles then went to explain the ups and downs of becoming a werewolf (dammit Stiles stop using that term), and in the end Isaac willingly agreed to join the pack. The last few miles they hammered out their story for the hospital staff as to why Mr. Lahey and Stiles were injured. Thankfully Melissa McCall was on duty and she took care of the skeptics. She then led Stiles into a private room and worked on cleaning and bandaging his head. Derek hovered in the corner wanting to make sure the lanky brunet was alright.

"So did Mr. Lahey really fall out of a tree because he was drunk or did this have to do with the supernatural?" Melissa asked.

"Stiles! You guys told her!" Derek growled.

"Oh yeah by the way that's Scott's alpha" Stiles said in way of introduction.

"I have some choice words for you but this is neither the time nor place. Now you didn't answer my question" Melissa said in a commanding tone.

"He fell, he was drunk, do any of the other details matter?" Stiles asked and winced as she pressed on his wound.

"I suppose not" Melissa sighed. She finished cleaning the wound and taped a gauze pad to Stiles temple.

Melissa left to do her rounds and Derek sat down next to Stiles.

"So what's it like to be Fae?" Derek asked.

"It's certainly not normal. I didn't really notice my powers until 6 months ago. My mom died before she thought I was ready to know so she bound them and wrote in a journal everything she had wished to teach me herself. The binding was supposed to release when I turned 18 but fae magic isn't always precise especially when in a weakened state." Stiles answered picking at his nails nervously.

Derek was about to ask some more questions when he suddenly heard Scott talking to his mother down the hall.

"Mom you've got to help, he's going to heal before the doctor has a chance to look at him" Scott said worriedly. Derek got up and found Scott standing nervously by the nurses station where Melissa quickly typed something into the computer and left.

"Scott what happened" Derek demanded in a hushed whisper.

"Derek! Jackson and I were chasing after a pair of ghouls and they darted across the highway. Jackson followed them and got hit by a car, thankfully he shifted back when he went down but the driver rushed him here before I could get to him." Scott explained. "Stiles what happened to your head?"

"I'll explain later. So still mad we told his mom?" Stiles said to Derek.

"No" Derek grumbled. Isaac walked over to them, curious as to what was happening.

"Oh bro, this is Isaac he's going to be joining the pack" Stiles introduced the curly haired teen to his best friend.

"Hi I'm Scott" the puppy said with that dopey smile of his and held out a hand.

"Isaac" The curly haired teen replied shaking Scott's hand. Derek noticed an odd look in Isaac's eyes and could hear the kid's heart beat slightly pick up speed. He also noticed that Stiles saw the odd look as well and was grinning mischievously (where's some Wolfsbane when you needed it?).

In less than an hour they were all leaving the hospital to reconvene with the rest of the pack at the loft. The speed in which they had gotten out of there made Derek start to think that whatever angry lecture Melissa McCall had in store for him could be endured if it meant she'd help them out like this in the future.

Most of the pack was assembled in the main room of the loft when Allison burst in.

"We have a serious problem." She stated as she approached the table the pack was standing around.

"What do you mean?" Stiles asked from Derek's right.

"I overheard my aunt, father and grandfather talking about how she knew where a pack of wolves were." Allison explained.

"How did she find us, did you tell her?" Cora asked suspiciously, she instantly distrusted who had any association with hunters and for good reason.

"No, my aunt overheard the wolves at the hospital and unless there's another pack in Beacon Hills, she's talking about you guys." Allison defended.

"See this is what you get for being a show off" Stiles directed to Jackson.

"Excuse me for running down a pair of ghouls, like I was ordered to." Jackson spat back from across the table. Derek could see Stiles building up for a long childish argument and decided to put a stop to that.

"Enough" Derek commanded letting a little of his alpha power bleed into it. Jackson deflated with a scowl and Stiles huffed.

Scott's cell phone rang and he answered it.

_"Scott, you need to keep an eye out. A couple of hunters just came to my clinic looking for you. Tell your pack to lay low and not to start a fight you're not ready for."_ A voice on the other line said and then hung up.

"Wait, Deaton, how-" Scott said quickly but didn't get an answer. Derek glared at Scott.

"I swear I didn't tell him." Scott said.

"That makes him an emissary. Alright you guys heard him, we are not to engage with these hunters. Allison we're going to need to know what they look like so as to avoid any confrontations." Derek ordered.

"I'll try to sneak photos of the others but if I can borrow a laptop I can show you my parents, aunt, and grandfather." Allison replied. Stiles produced his from his bag under the table and slid it over to Allison.

Allison pulled up a photo from Facebook and turned it towards Derek. Cora snarled and if it wasn't for Boyd's quick reflexes she would have jumped over the table and attacked Allison.

"Erica help Boyd get her to the basement!" Derek commanded producing a set of keys and handing it over to the blonde. Derek looked over at the human members of the pack. Scott had shoved Isaac and Stiles behind him holding a defensive stance and Jackson had done the same for Allison. They didn't relax until Erica and Boyd had dragged a thrashing Cora out of the room.

"I know your sister doesn't like me but that gives her no right to try and attack me" Allison said angrily.

"Tell me is your aunt's name Kate?" Derek asked coldly, holding his turbulent emotions in.

"Yeah how do you know?" Allison answered.

"Because she was the one to set fire to our family home, Cora barely got out of there alive. I don't know if the rest of your family was involved but your aunt is responsible for the death of our entire family, innocents and humans included." Derek replied in dangerous tone. He was having a difficult time keeping his wolf under control, Kate had used him and killed his family and now she was back to do it again.

"You're wrong we have a code, my dad told me. We never hurt those who haven't harmed innocents." Allison cried out.

"Well she doesn't live by it. Now get out, I see where your true loyalties lie." Derek said in an authoritative tone. Allison glared at him but left.

"So what are you going to do?" Stiles asked.

"Nothing for now; Deaton told Scott we weren't ready for a fight with hunters. I'm going to go check on Cora." Derek answered before leaving the loft for the basement that he had made into a cage for the new betas.

Derek told Erica and Boyd to go as he opened the door finding Cora sitting on the ground next to it. Her eyes were puffy and red like she had cried after her initial anger had subsided. Derek sat down next to her keeping quiet until she was ready to speak.

"They killed our family." Cora said quietly.

"I know. Did you see anyone in that photo beside the blonde woman when it happened?" Derek asked.

"No, but the old man killed Peter." Cora replied. Derek looked at Cora, startled by that.

"He came to our house in the middle of the night. He had some other hunters with him. Peter hid me in a tunnel Carol had built in the basement and told me to run and don't come back. I didn't listen. There was a crack I could see through so I stayed and watched. They used a couple of cattle prods to subdue Peter then the bastards strung him up and after telling him the rest of the pack was dead the old man took a broadsword and sliced him in half. He then ordered the other hunters to burn the house down. That's when I ran." Cora detailed. Derek was horrified by what his sister had witnessed and pulled her into a hug.

"You can't let them get away with this." Cora pleaded quietly.

"They won't." Derek answered. He held onto Cora a little longer then helped her up and walked with her out of the basement. Stiles was in the hall and as Cora walked by the brunet drew her into a wordless hug. He let go after a few moments but stopped Derek from following his sister.

"You're going to go after them." It wasn't a question.

"You don't know what it's like to lose a member of the pack. It's like losing a limb. I'm not going to give them an opportunity to do it again." Derek replied.

"I understand that, you just need to think this through. Make a plan, don't go in halfcocked and hope your alpha powers will save you." Stiles said in a low voice. Derek forced down a smile, turning it into a scowl.

"Will you help me?" Derek asked. The surprise on the brunet's face was something Derek would cherish.

"What? You're actually asking for my help?" Stiles asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Please say yes before I start to regret this." Derek whined.

"You always say you regret my help but do you really?" Stiles countered.

"No" Derek muttered which caused a large smile to split across Stiles face and it made Derek's heart skip a beat.

"Alright first thing we should do is turn Isaac, you've said before that the pack is stronger the more members we have. It's a couple of weeks to the next full moon so we have plenty of time to teach him control." Stiles said as he walked back up to the loft, Derek following

"Whenever this confrontation goes down we should get Allison, Lydia and Danny out of town. Send Jackson with them for protection, he'd probably make a fuss about fighting Allison's family because of his big crush on her. Don't deny it douche nozzle." Stiles said as they walked in the door. Jackson made some annoyed noises from the kitchen and Derek snorted his amusement.

"Does the moon factor into how strong you are?" Stiles asked grabbing his mother's journal and flipping through it while he waited for an answer.

"Strongest during the full moon but our urges are the hardest to control. New moons and eclipses weaken us." Derek answered and stood next to Stiles as the brunet continued to flip through the journal. The slanted writing looked familiar and not because it was similar to Stiles' own handwriting.

"Alright we'll want this to be near the full moon but not during. I kind of want to lure them into a trap using Allison but it's better to not have that on her conscience." Stiles stopped looking through the journal and stood up straight.

"When subtlety is out be bold. Should I tell them about…" Stiles said as he gestured emphatically.

"Yes, then you can practice openly." Derek replied after reading a bit of the divination spell Stiles had left the journal open to. Stiles nodded.

"Hey guys I need to tell you something." Stiles said loudly enough to get the pack to gather where he and Derek stood.

"I'm not human." Stiles said hesitantly.

"I knew it!" Jackson exclaimed victoriously. Derek glared and Jackson didn't start ranting.

"Well then what are you?" Erica asked her expression curious.

"Fae, well only half. My father's human and my mother was fae." Stiles explained.

"What does that mean?" Scott asked.

"It means I'm connected to the earth and can use magic. I'm telling you this because we're running into a situation where I'm going to need to use my magic a bit more openly." Stiles answered.

"Now that that's done, Derek bite Isaac so we can all go home and get some rest, I'm going to need the whole pack here tomorrow so I can perform this." Stiles said holding up his mother's journal open to the spell.

Derek rolled his eyes then turned to Isaac.

"I'm sorry but this is going to hurt" the alpha apologized before wolfing out and biting Isaac's arm. The boy cried out but Scott was there to keep him from jerking his arm away and causing more damage. Derek had studied up on human anatomy not long after recruiting Scott to figure out the best place to bite a potential pack member, to where he decided the arm was fine as long as he avoided the tendons.

He let go and changed back, wiping the blood off of his mouth.

"I'd offer you the couch but it's not that comfortable." Derek said in a calm tone, not wanting to freak the teen out anymore. He looked to Stiles and the brunet shook his head.

"My dad will ask questions and he's not ready for the truthful answers." Stiles said.

"I'm sure my mom won't mind him staying with us. Plus she'll be able to bandage this properly." Scott offered after going to the kitchen for a clean dishtowel and wrapped it around Isaac's arm.

The next day just before sunset Stiles had the pack gathered in a circle around a large dish filled with water. Right before performing the ritual the brunet had Lydia look over the spell and asked her opinion on pronunciation because she had an affinity for languages.

As the sun started to set Stiles began chanting in Old Irish, the pack holding hands; halfway through the chant the water started to shimmer and a series of images started forming on the surface. Everyone but Lydia and Stiles were confused by the images but Derek trusted them to explain when it was over. As the ritual came to a close Derek had a nagging feeling this wasn't the first time he'd been involved in this sort of divination spell.

Stiles' shoulders slumped and Derek could feel him sway next to him, to where the alpha put a hand on his lower back to steady him.

"Are you alright?" Derek asked, concerned.

"Yeah that just took a lot out of me; I've never performed a spell that involved before." Stiles explained quietly. The brunet shook his head and stood up straight.

"Alright what did the picture show tell you?" Jackson sneered crossing his arms.

"We'd have the most success under the three-quarter moon. But to beware a certain plant; did anybody recognize the plant the image of death was pointing at?" Stiles asked.

"Wolfsbane" Cora supplied. Stiles nodded.

"What about that abandoned building?" Boyd asked, he was still holding Erica's hand even though the ritual was over.

"I think that's where the fight is going to take place. Has anyone seen it around town?" Stiles asked.

"Over on first in the warehouse district." Lydia said quietly. "I keep ending up there when I'm not paying attention."

Stiles looked at Lydia with his head tilted to the side like he was seeing something that no one else could see, but then shook his head slightly before speaking again.

"Alright, we've got a little over a week until the three-quarter moon. Danny, Lydia, Jackson figure something out that'll get you and Allison out of town for that night." Stiles said, in a tone close to commanding. Derek raised an eyebrow before adding, "The rest of you should spar and work on attacking in a not too obvious way; these are hunters skilled in fighting wolves."

"Stiles, can I talk to you?" Derek asked as the pack broke up. Stiles nodded then walked to the kitchen. He set down his ever present leather journal on the counter and rummaged around the fridge until he produced some carrot sticks and ranch dip. Stiles face crinkled but he started eating anyway.

"That spell took a lot out of me and I'm starving, this is fast." Stiles defended when he noticed Derek was just staring at him.

"Stiles do you have a picture of your mother?" Derek blurted out.

"Uh, yeah; just inside the cover of her journal. Why?" Stiles answered, while shoving a few carrot sticks in his mouth. Derek undid the buckle of the journal and opened it up to see a picture of a beautiful brunet woman hugging a young Stiles.

"I think your mom was friends with my mom." Derek said quietly as he stared at the familiar woman.

"Uh yeah I've been meaning to say something about that." Stiles said hesitantly.

"What?" Derek asked sharply.

"My mom wrote it in her journal. She was friends with your mom and helped her often with all things supernatural that came through Beacon Hills. Shortly after the fire, my mom got really sick and passed away." Stiles explained.

"Then why didn't I know you?" Derek wondered aloud.

"I suspect my mom wanted to keep me safe from that kind of life for as long as possible." Stiles answered, dragging a carrot stick in swirling patterns through the ranch.

"That makes sense; what I remember of Claudia is that she was very protective and had this warm rich laughter that filled you with happiness." Derek mused leaning on the island counter across from Stiles. The brunet smiled softly obviously remembering this about his mother. Derek returned the smile and stood up straight.

"Come on let's get you something real to eat" Derek said as he opened the fridge and started pulling out ingredients.

"You know how to cook?" Stiles asked.

"Laura was crap at the domestic stuff, so I had to learn." Derek explained. He settled on making a simple Bolognese sauce with spaghetti and Stiles pitched in with homemade garlic bread. For the most part Stiles just sat on a counter watching as Derek cooked, and when the food was nearly done Scott, Isaac and Cora stuck their heads into the kitchen.

"Woah Derek's cooking, you sure we don't want to order out?" Cora teased. Scott and Isaac looked nervously at Cora then Derek's back.

"Shut up and get the table set." Derek replied. Cora chuckled but did as told, Stiles sliding off the counter so she could get to the plates.

To only Jackson's surprise the food was delicious; Stiles hadn't been lying when he said the spell took a lot out of him because he ate twice as much as he usually did. The conversation around the table was subdued because of what was ahead of them. Derek sat there silently reviewing each of the betas strengths and what he needed each of them to work on.

As the pack got up to leave, Derek stopped them.

"Until I say otherwise I need all of you to report here right after school. Seeing as it's the off season for Lacrosse, that shouldn't be a problem. And that includes you Stiles." Derek commanded.

"Huh, what?" Stiles yawned.

"You heard me and have somebody drive you home, you shouldn't be driving this tired." Derek replied. Isaac volunteered with Scott planning to follow on his bike and Stiles grudgingly handed over his keys.

After the pack left and the loft was clean, Derek retired to his room with a stack of books Laura had insisted he take with him when they had separated, shortly after he attained his alpha powers. She had said they'd help make him a better alpha, to which he had scoffed and never thought to read until now. Come to find out they were journals his mother had written as an instruction manual should one of her children become alpha of their own pack. Derek smiled as he read the passage specifically written to him and wondered if Talia had gotten the idea from Claudia or the other way around. These were two women cut from the same cloth and it wasn't a wonder they were such close friends (and if Derek was being truly honest with himself, he and Stiles were the same way. But who wants to be honest).

The next day Derek sent the betas down to the basement to get started, then showed Stiles to the room where he kept most of his books on the supernatural. Technically it could be called a library but it paled in comparison to the one his mom had.

Dr. Deaton was already waiting in the room, looking through a large tome. The dark skinned man looked up and smiled, closing the book.

"I was wondering when your mother's spell was going to break." Deaton said to Stiles.

"You knew her too?" Stiles asked.

"I was emissary to the Hale pack and with how close Claudia and Talia were it was difficult not to know her." Deaton replied.

"So what you're going to be my Yoda and teach me magic?" Stiles said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"If you want to put it that, yes" Deaton said with a sigh.

"Alright where do we start?" Stiles answered with a shrug. He was taking this in his usual Stiles fashion and it baffled Derek how the brunet could just roll with something.

"You learning how to speak and read Old Irish properly and how to calm your mind." Deaton said sliding the large book he had been looking at earlier towards Stiles.

"Aww man really. Dead languages are Lydia's thing." Stiles whined.

"Do you want to leave it up to chance when a subtle pronunciation difference is what makes a spell work or blow up in your face?" Deaton challenged.

"Alright alright, let the resurrection begin." Stiles conceded, his arms flailing. Derek chose to leave then, knowing when he wasn't needed.

The next week was busy as every member of the pack put in an effort to prepare for the upcoming fight. At night Derek would find himself in the kitchen talking strategy with Stiles as they prepared dinner. With their talks, Derek learned the progress of Stiles lessons with Deaton. The brunet had apparently picked up Old Irish fairly quickly though he still had problems quieting his mind, but Derek suspected that would come with time.

The night before the fight Derek had the pack stay at Scott's house (it was bigger than the loft and he needed to keep an eye on them so they didn't do anything stupid). Melissa finally had the talk with Derek she had promised that night at the hospital, but in the end she sighed and shook her head, conceding that Scott's social life and school work were doing better now that he had the pack to rely on. Derek had to admit that Scott's mother had guts and he was glad that she unintentionally took on role of mother to the pack. There were very few grumbles when she ordered lights out at midnight.

Derek was lying in bed, wide awake and trying not to dwell on the next day when he caught a familiar scent outside the guest room. When it didn't fade Derek looked at the door and huffed.

"Come in Stiles." The alpha called quietly. The door opened slightly and the lanky teen slipped inside.

"How'd you… right wolf senses." Stiles started to ask then answered himself when Derek raised an eyebrow.

Stiles flopped down on the bed next to Derek and the alpha was glad the fae didn't have his superior hearing as his heart started to race. Derek took a deep breath trying to calm his rapid heartbeat.

"You nervous about tomorrow?" Stiles asked after laying next to the wolf in silence for a few minutes.

"Nervous isn't quite what I feel." Derek replied. Stiles turned on his side to look at Derek's expression.

"We've planned this meticulously, made contingency plans; but no matter how well you plan, something can always go wrong." Derek explained. Stiles nodded grimly and turned to lay on his back.

"I've been thinking over the last couple of days." Stiles said after a few minutes of silence. Derek hummed his interest.

"I don't think it was a coincidence that not long after the fire my mother died." Stiles continued. Derek was interested but knew by now not to interrupt Stiles if he wanted to hear what the brunet had to say without sarcasm.

"I don't know how but I think they got to my mother as well. They made her sick and killed her by making it look like cancer." Stiles whispered angrily. There was a slight scent of salt in the air and Derek could tell that Stiles was holding back tears.

"Like I told Cora, they'll pay for what they've done." Derek whispered back and without thinking he put an arm around Stiles and pulled the brunet close to him. Stiles didn't say anything, just sniffed and nodded his head against Derek's chest.

As Stiles fell asleep, Derek found himself panicking. What was he doing? All the legends said it was perilous to get involved with fae. He should know better. Besides the kid was still underage; sure his eighteenth birthday was a month and a half away (no he was not counting the days, shut up), Derek did not want to risk the wrath of Sheriff Stilinski. Sure the man was only human, but even the most determined humans could make a wolf's life difficult. Gods what was he even thinking, he should just wake Stiles up and tell him to go back to his own bed.

When Derek looked over to Stiles, planning to shake the brunet awake, his hand fell limply to his side. He looked at peace with the world, the worried tension around his eyes that had become part of his expression in the past week melted away. Derek set his head back down on the pillow and fell asleep staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out which circle of hell this put him in.


	2. The Light

By midafternoon, things were going as planned. Jackson, Lydia, Danny, and Allison were on their way to a concert in LA. Scott and Boyd were skulking around town in areas where Kate and Gerard were known to frequent in an effort to lure them to the warehouse Derek and the rest of the pack were currently waiting in. Derek started to pace in the open space he was positioned in, ears trained on either entrance. He chanced a glance to the area near the ceiling where Stiles was meditating, Cora sitting next to him tapping her knee in nervous boredom.

Derek was about to sit down and try meditating to calm down ('cause seriously, how is Stiles heartbeat not racing like the rest of the packs?) when his phone buzzed. He took it out of his pocket and saw a text from Scott.

**Kate hot on my trail. Bulletproof vest was good idea, been shot at twice. Headed your way, be there in 5.**

Derek was now glad that Stiles had suggested pilfering a couple of bulletproof vests from his dad. He let out a short two note whistle and the pack got into various fighting stances, knowing their prey was incoming. Just as Derek went to put his phone away he got a text from Boyd.

**Gerard incoming. ETA 5 min.**

Derek put his phone away and crossed his arms, taking a deep breath. He set his face into a mask of indifference, like he wasn't nervous and angry all at once.

Scott and Boyd ran in from two different points and took up their position next to Derek. Derek took another deep breath as Kate and Gerard walked in and he wished he could tell Cora to calm down he could smell her anger from where he stood.

"Hey dad" Kate said to Gerard a smile on her face.

"Katie, do you know why we're here?" Gerard asked calmly.

"Nope but why don't we ask the wolves." Kate replied as she reloaded her gun. She lifted it to aim at Derek's head and smiled seductively, "Derek good to see you again."

"Can't say the same." Derek replied grimly.

"Ahh now I thought this was so you could see me again. Alright why are we here then?" Kate demanded calmly.

"You murdered my pack, restitution is demanded." Derek answered in a calm tone. His skin was crawling to be near the blonde again and he wanted nothing more than to rip her throat out.

"How can you still be angry about that, you've got a new pack full of puppies." Kate said in a mocking tone. Derek could feel Scott and Boyd bristle beside him, but they stayed in place.

"No you're still torn up about feeding me the information I needed to trap your entire family in that basement and burn the house to the ground." Kate declared harshly. It was like a blow to Derek's heart and Scott and Boyd were looking at Derek.

It was a blur of action as Kate fired her gun, first at Derek then at Scott and Boyd. Derek hit the deck feeling the bullets whiz by his head thanks to Stiles. Boyd and Scott had luckily taken the bullets in the vest but the force of hits still knocked them down. When the shooting stopped Derek looked up to see Kate using a taser gun on Erica right before Isaac sneaked up on her and snapped the honey-blonde's neck.

Gerard was making his way for the exit and Derek started after him. When he had closed the distance to a few feet he lunged at the man but missed when a woman with short auburn hair came out of nowhere and placed herself between them. As they went down Derek bit her in the shoulder and was shocked by a cattle prod.

He was convulsing on the ground when he heard Cora say "This is for Peter" followed by the sound of tearing flesh and gurgling.

The cattle prod was kicked away from Derek and after twitching for a few moments he had enough control over his body to stand up. He swayed a bit and Stiles appeared next to him, grabbing the alpha's arm and putting it over his shoulder, helping Derek stand.

The pack had the auburn haired woman surrounded as she was sitting on the ground, clutching her bleeding shoulder.

"What should we do with her?" Erica asked, leaning on Boyd.

"Leave her; she knows she can't take us on by herself." Derek ordered shortly and with the help of Stiles made his way out of the warehouse. He let out a deep sigh and laid his head back after Stiles helped him into the passenger seat of his jeep.

As Stiles drove, Derek kept taking deep breaths and his eyes closed.

"Are you alright?" Stiles asked worriedly.

"You try getting electrocuted." Derek replied shortly.

"Sorry man…So getting shocked is a wolf weakness?" Stiles asked. Derek nodded, trying not to concentrate on the aching.

"Low voltages don't affect us like humans but get it high enough and we stop healing." Derek answered.

"Well that means I'm staying the night." Stiles replied.

"What?" Derek asked sharply, instantly regretting it as he laid his head back again and took a deep breath.

"Dude you can barely walk on your own and are obviously in pain. You're going to need help at least for the night, and I don't see Cora doing that." Stiles explained with a concerned frown. Derek remembered his sister's expression before leaving the warehouse and realized Stiles was right.

"Fine" Derek grumbled and they rode on in silence.

The next morning Derek woke up to Jackson yelling for him. He climbed down the spiral staircase, running a hand through his hair.

"You lying asshole! You promised you wouldn't kill her parents!" Jackson screamed.

"Calm down. We only took out Gerard and Kate, no one else." Derek snapped, his head still hurt and the yelling didn't help.

"Well then why is Allison's mother dead?" Jackson asked angrily.

"Fuck. I bit her and she must have killed herself before she turned." Derek replied, pinching his nose.

"YOU WHAT?" Jackson roared.

"She got in my way when I was going for Gerard. I did not do it on purpose. Now leave before I lose my temper." Derek said in a dangerously quiet voice. Jackson glared at him but left.

Derek stood there rubbing his temples, trying to make the throbbing in his head go away but it wouldn't.

"Morning." Stiles said suddenly from the couch. Derek looked over and the brunet had his arms crossed on the back and was resting his chin on them.

"Morning." Derek grunted.

"You doing alright, you still have your sourwolf expression on." Stiles asked.

"I've got this throbbing pain in my head behind my eyes and it won't go away." Derek replied.

"Dude have you never had a headache before?" Stiles inquired with a small smile. Derek shook his head and winced because it made the pain worse.

"Come on, coffee and breakfast will help with that." Stiles said getting up from the couch. The brunet stretched his long limbs before going to the kitchen and Derek groaned as Stiles' shirt lifted with his arms exposing a pale strip of his stomach.

"Oh that's sounds like a headache of hangover proportions." Stiles said sympathetically as he started making the coffee.

As the coffee was brewing, Stiles turned his attention to the fridge pulling out eggs, bacon, mushrooms, spinach and cheese.

"So Allison's mom killed herself because she didn't want to be a wolf?" Stiles asked as he chopped the mushrooms, then bacon. Derek hummed and nodded before crossing to the coffee pot, pouring himself a mug. He sat down on the stool next to the island opposite where Stiles was cooking and took a sip from his mug before speaking.

"Most hunter clans have a weird ethics where they don't become what they hunt. Usually what they do is commit suicide or have someone kill them when it looks like they're going to turn." Derek explained before taking another sip.

"That's ridiculous." Stiles commented as he threw the chopped bacon into a large heated skillet.

"I agree, but then again we're not human so who are we to judge." Derek replied, smirking at the low chuckle he got from Stiles.

Three cups of coffee and a huge piece of the frittata Stiles made for breakfast later, Derek was feeling normal. The brunet bid him and Cora farewell about midday, stating that if he wasn't home for dinner he'd have the cops on his ass.

Cora was more taciturn than usual in the days following the fight but started hanging out with Erica and Boyd and began returning to normal. Allison was avoiding most of the pack, save Jackson and Derek couldn't tell if that was a good thing or bad. Stiles started hanging out at the loft more often, and the first couple times Derek wondered aloud as to why, the brunet said it was because of his supernatural book collection. Finally Stiles admitted that it was because almost everyone in the pack were in a relationship and especially with Scott and Isaac getting together, he had no one to hang out with and just be. After that Derek didn't question Stiles' presence and took to enjoying the brunet's company.

As the weeks went by Derek took to reading various legends of supernatural beings with most of his research focusing on fae (shut up Cora it's just a coincidence). It soon turned into a game between him and Stiles of fact or myth.

One night Derek was reading a book Deaton had let him borrow in the kitchen while Stiles was cooking and he came across an interesting tidbit about names.

"Names have power over fae?" Derek asked.

"That's right" Stiles answered as he continued chopping carrots for the stew he was making.

"So Stiles isn't your real name" Derek said, a bit of curiosity slipping into his tone.

"You would be correct. Maybe someday I'll tell you my real name." Stiles replied, winking at Derek before returning his attention back to the simmering stew. Derek blushed, glad that Stiles had his back to him and no one else was in the room.

Not long after that Lydia announced that with Stiles' birthday around the corner, they should throw a party. After extreme negotiations they got her to agree to a party with just the pack at the loft. (Lesson to the wise never be on the opposite side of Lydia Martin in a debate.) The day arrived and even though all but four members of the pack couldn't get drunk, there was plenty of booze.

Stiles drunk was probably one of the most hilarious things Derek had ever seen and he couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so hard. The best part was when the brunet decided to affect a bad Scottish accent, yelling at Scott "NOOT NOOT SCOOT!" and Isaac falling off the side of the couch he was laughing so hard.

Around 4am everyone's energy was fading and Derek called an end to the party. Everyone started unrolling sleeping bags and piling up blankets and pillows on the floor of the main room, settling in for sleep. Stiles was leaning against the wall, nodding every so often and that's when Derek decided to take pity on him.

"Come on. I'll let you sleep in my bed." Derek said and when it was evident Stiles wasn't steady on his feet, he picked the brunet up.

"Is this your way of propositioning me?" Stiles slurred as Derek carried him to his room.

"No" Derek said flatly as he set the brunet on his bed. The alpha heard Cora giggling and groaned internally, knowing the pack had heard Stiles as well.

"Why not? I'm drunk. And you're beautiful. And tomorrow mornin, I'll be sober but you'll still be beautiful." Stiles mumbled as Derek tucked him in.

"Did you just quote Les Mis to me?" Derek asked as he stood up.

"You've read Les Mis?" Stiles asked with a yawn.

"Yeah in my freshman English course at Columbia" Derek answered.

"Mmmm, brains as well as sexy muscles. What's a boy to do?" Stiles said sleepily. The brunet's snoring a few moments later told Derek he was asleep and the alpha quietly crept out of the room.

He sat on the spiral staircase for about an hour, trying not to think about what Stiles just said before deciding to go for a walk. A few hours later he had walked himself out to the middle of the preserve, finding peace in the trees. Derek had just decided to turn back when he heard a scream that sounded like Lydia's. That put him on guard and he started running through the woods in the direction of the loft.

Suddenly Derek was tackled to the ground and he felt claws sinking into his chest. He pushed back as he sprouted his own claws and sliced where he approximated his attacker's neck was. The body fell to the ground and Derek recognized the woman as Kali.

Why didn't he think this wasn't going to come back to bite him. He breathed in but felt liquid filling his lungs. He collapsed to the ground and wondered if this was how he was going to die.

Out of nowhere there was a flash of light and Stiles was running towards him. The brunet's eyes flashed the deep emerald they turned when he was performing magic as he wrenched his hands apart in a motion like he was ripping something. Derek heard a wet squelching sound and could guess what Stiles had done.

Stiles dropped to his knees next to Derek and placed his hands on the alpha's chest starting to chant in Old Irish. There was a warm feeling in his chest and a white glow radiating out from under the fae's hands.

When Stiles stopped, he practically collapsed on top of Derek from exhaustion. The alpha took a deep breath and found that Stiles had healed his punctured lung and removed the blood that had been drowning him. Derek was still bleeding from where Kali had sunk her claws into him but was out of immediate danger.

Derek lay there weak from the oxygen deprivation with Stiles hovering over him, just as weak.

"Did you just heal me?" Derek asked.

"Yeah" Stiles breathed.

"I thought healing magic was very difficult." Derek said as he tried to sit upright.

"It is" Stiles answered before breathing deeply. Derek took a good look at him and saw that Stiles was sweating and trying to catch his breath.

"Stiles are you alright?" Derek asked, extremely worried.

"I teleported, ripped her head off and healed you. I'm a bit tired now." Stiles snarked.

"Why?" Derek wondered aloud. Stiles looked at him with a strange expression and before the brunet could answer they heard a twig snap.

They both looked in the direction of the sound and Derek caught the scent of two werewolves. He cursed his luck at surviving just long enough to get him and Stiles killed.

A pair of twins came into sight and Derek recognized them from when he had killed Ennis, gaining his status as Alpha. He was fairly certain he and Stiles were going to die but then something strange happened. The twins helped Derek and Stiles up and practically carried them out of the woods. As they were walking, Derek learned that their names were Ethan and Aiden and they were dating Danny and Lydia. At first their interest in them had been under orders from Kali to try and find his pack but soon the twins had realized Kali's quest for vengeance went too far. They had actually been on their way to tell Kali they had had enough when they found Stiles and Derek. What surprised Derek the most was the request to join his pack. Derek said he'd think about it but in the end he had a feeling he'd let them join.

There was a mountain of questions when they returned to the loft but Derek just limped to his room and locked himself inside. He trusted Stiles would explain what he could. Everyone left soon after and Derek finally passed out, tired beyond belief.

It took him a couple of days to fully heal and Cora went out of her way to give him the space he needed. During those days Derek thought over what had happened between him and Stiles. He knew he should talk to the fae but the alpha didn't know what he was going to do about his feelings for Stiles and decided he need to figure that out before he talked to the younger man.

He was gifted with a beautiful distraction the day after he fully healed from Kali's attack. He had gotten a phone call from a lawyer in Newburgh, New York saying that his cousins, by Peter and his alpha mate, most recent guardian had passed and a will left behind by Peter's mate expressed a desire to have them raised by family. After asking if they were able to find anyone closer, Derek booked the next flight for him and Cora to go to New York.

It took them a week of looking after their younger cousins to find an aunt on Peter's mate's side that was willing to raise them. When Derek had told Cora they could go back to Beacon Hills, she had asked him if they could stay longer – not quite ready to go back. Derek caved because his little sister seemed happier here than in California, extending their stay for another week.

Derek liked spending time with his little cousins, (he missed being around family) but with every day they stayed he felt off. This was accompanied with a light tugging feeling every time he looked west. So he decided that even if Cora wasn't ready to go home, at least he was going to return home to Beacon Hills.

Being back in California, Derek felt a little better but something was still off. As he stared out of the large window in the loft, the alpha took out his phone and called Stiles.

_"Hey."_ Stiles answered and Derek thought his voice sounded weak.

"Hey, I was wondering if you'd come over and we could talk." Derek said.

_"Yeah, I'll be over right away."_ Stiles replied and coughed before hanging up.

Derek started pacing because he hadn't made up his mind as to his feelings about Stiles but he had this feeling that he needed to see Stiles. An hour passed and Stiles still hadn't shown up, Derek knew something was wrong.

Derek called Scott and told the beta to gather the pack and meet him at Stiles' house.

Sheriff Stilinski was at work so Scott let them in and each member beside Derek and Scott grabbed a piece of Stiles clothing.

"We're going to spread out and search the town, Scott and I will follow his trail from here. Call if you find anything and stick in pairs." Derek ordered.

"What's that smell?" Jackson asked after lifting the t-shirt he was holding near his nose. "It's kind of pine and flowery, and something else. I didn't know Stiles was that girly."

"He's not, its fae pheromones, the scent of the forest of Tír na nÓg." Derek answered shortly. He had a bad feeling Stiles wasn't safe and he wanted to get out there searching.

"Unless anyone has any other questions, I suggest we start searching." Scott suggested, noticing Derek's edginess.

Derek took a deep breath and started to follow the familiar scent that was Stiles. Scott trailed behind him, keeping quiet so as not to break Derek's concentration. When they reached the front door, Derek frowned in frustration. Where did the scent go, he had it just a moment ago.

"You know Stiles hasn't left the house very much in the past week. He's been really sick." Scott supplied as Derek took a couple of deep breathes through his nose.

It was hopeless; if they couldn't pick up his trail from here they were never going to find him. Derek's shoulders slumped and he felt the now familiar tug in his mind. Without thinking Derek followed it. Scott (the good puppy he was) locked up the Stilinski house and jogged to catch up with a fast walking Derek.

As the tugging feeling grew stronger, Derek broke out into a run. He didn't know why but he knew that it would lead him to Stiles.

It led him and Scott to an abandoned house in a rundown part of town. As they approached the house Derek motioned for Scott to be silent and crept inside. He placed his feet carefully to avoid squeaky floorboards and the tugging sensation was leading him down.

Derek pointed to the floor and Scott nodded branching away from the alpha to search for some stairs leading to the basement. Derek found them and let out a low whistle to Scott before descending.

The smell hit him first, the basement smelled of blood, sweat, sex and sulfur. This made Derek drop all attempts at subtlety and he ran down the stairs to find Stiles tied to a chair with a succubus hovering over him, sucking his soul out.

Derek saw red; he ran forward and flung the demon bitch away from Stiles. The brunet slumped in the chair, his eyes closed. Derek lifted Stiles head, patting his cheek lightly, calling his name.

The succubus started laughing from the wall Scott had her pinned to. Derek got up and strode to the laughing woman. His thoughts murderous as he glared at the raven haired woman.

"Give him his soul back." Derek demanded as he gripped her jaw tightly. Scott backed off and blocked the stairs, not wanting to get in the alpha's way.

"No" The demon said, her ruby red lips curling into a smug smile.

"Do it or I'll kill you." Derek threatened, letting his eyes flash.

"You'll kill me anyway, so why don't you get it over with and I can die without helping you." She spat, the sulfur in her scent strong with his face this close.

Derek considered demanding one more time but shrugged it away and snapped the demon's neck hoping with her death Stiles' soul would return to him. The succubus' body fell to the floor as Derek let go of it and went back to Stiles' prone body.

Derek noticed an odd iron necklace around the brunet's neck and took it off before he untied Stiles. Derek sat on the floor with Stiles in his lap cupping the fae's cheek.

"Come on Stiles, come back. The pack needs you, we couldn't do this without you…I-I need you. Just come back will you, come back for me." Derek said calmly at first but growing a bit desperate as every moment passed and Stiles still hadn't shown signs of life.

He drew in a shaky breath and placed a soft kiss to the brunet's forehead before burying his face in Stiles' hair and crying silent tears.

Derek heard Scott say something indistinct (honestly he wasn't paying attention) and the room filled with a dozen little lights like fireflies. They hovered over the succubus' now shriveled body for a second before flying away through the ceiling, save one. One of the lights that had a pale green glow flew straight into Stiles mouth. Derek looked down at the brunet and hope bloomed in his chest as color returned to Stiles' pale skin.

"Stiles. STILES!" Derek said hopefully then cried with joy when the brunet gasped deeply. He quickly pulled Stiles to his chest in a tight hug, overjoyed the fae was alive.

"Crushing me. Can't breathe." Stiles said breathlessly. Derek relaxed his grip but was still hugging Stiles and the brunet returned the hug, resting his forehead on Derek's shoulder.

Derek breathed in Stiles intoxicating scent, and then suddenly remembered they weren't alone. He looked up to see Scott smiling at him mysteriously. Derek coughed and let go of Stiles.

Stiles held on for a moment more before taking a deep breath and looking at his surroundings. He saw Scott and Derek could see a slight blush creeping up the back of his neck.

"Hey Scott." Stiles said weakly.

"Good to see you alive." Scott replied. Stiles smirked and tried to get up from Derek's lap but had no strength. Scott stepped forward and pulled the brunet up and into a hug.

"Hmm two hugs in less than a minute, maybe I should die more often." Stiles murmured as Derek got up from the ground.

"Please don't" Scott replied softly.

"I won't brother" Stiles promised.

"Let's get out of here." Derek said as he watched the succubus' body crumble into a pile of dust.

"I second that, this place gives me the creeps." Stiles said as he pulled out of his hug with Scott.

The brunet took a step towards the stairs and nearly collapsed from the effort. Scott and Derek caught him before he could fall. With a look and a nod of his head, Scott helped Stiles stand upright while Derek squatted in front of the weaker man.

"Ooh Sourwolf express." Stiles teased as he climbed on Derek's back. Derek rolled his eyes as he stood up, crouching a little so the brunet wouldn't hit his head on the ceiling.

"Onward" Stiles said grandly pointing up the stairs, his arm grazing Derek's ear with the motion. The alpha sighed but walked up the stairs behind Scott. As they were walking back to Derek's loft, Scott sent out a mass text to the pack that they had found Stiles and he was alright.

"Can you divert them someplace else, I don't feel up to more than a few people right now." Stiles asked softly.

"Sure thing. I'll have them meet at my house. You rest up and feel better." Scott replied. He squeezed Stiles on the shoulder, then ran off in the general direction of his house, making a call as he went. Derek continued on to his loft with Stiles on his back.

When they got there, Derek went straight to the kitchen and set Stiles down on one of the stools against the island. He wordlessly crossed to the fridge and made a couple of turkey cheddar sandwiches. When he was done making them, Derek slid the plate across the island to Stiles. The brunet looked at them blankly for a couple of seconds before picking up half of a sandwich and taking a bite. They didn't speak as Stiles ate and Derek leaned on the counter, clasping his hands together as he watched Stiles eat.

When Stiles had finished one of the sandwiches he absently picked at the other, not meeting Derek's gaze.

"I saw our mothers." Stiles said softly. Derek didn't know how to respond to that.

"I saw them when I-" Stiles started and took a deep breath. "When I died."

"Did they say anything?" Derek asked quietly.

"Your mom didn't but mine did." Stiles replied, still picking at the sandwich.

"My mom said that I didn't belong there. That I was still needed. That you needed me." Stiles continued, determinedly staring at the sandwich, the bread in pieces on the plate.

"Did she say anything else?" Derek asked.

"She told me she loved me." Stiles said finally looking up and he was wearing a sad smile. Derek returned the smile and covered one of Stiles' hands with his own.

Stiles eyes followed the movement and stared at their hands.

"My mom said that you need me, is that true?" Stiles asked looking Derek in the eye. Derek was at a loss for words. He couldn't call Claudia a liar, because well she was dead and you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead for very good reasons.

"Before all that happened you called me to talk. I'm here, let's talk." Stiles said.

"Your mother was right, I do need you." Derek answered with a resigned sigh. This was it, all or nothing.

"So why didn't you say anything before?" Stiles asked, and he twisted his hand under Derek's to where his fingers were intertwined with the alphas.

"For some very good reasons." Derek replied.

"Like?"

"You were underage for one."

"Not an issue anymore, what else?"

Derek hesitated before answering and decided to go with a vague version of his most important reason.

"I don't know what you're like in a relationship. How do I know you're not going to get bored with me the second I get in too deep?" Derek said slowly and avoiding Stiles' gaze.

"I can't exactly answer that." Stiles answered honestly. "I've never had a relationship. I was pining after Lydia for the longest time that anything else kind of went over my head."

They stayed there silent for a few moments, trying to think of a suitable answer of what to do next.

"We take it slow." Stiles said suddenly. Derek thought it over, finding no reasonable objections he nodded. Stiles smiled softly at Derek and the alpha felt his heart flutter. After a few moments the smile slid off Stiles face and his expression turned thoughtful.

"Could I stay here tonight? My dad is working the night shift and I don't want to be alone." Stiles asked hesitantly.

"Sure, you can use my bed." Derek replied. Stiles nodded and let go of Derek's hand, pushing himself off of the stool.

Stiles legs wobbled a little but he stayed upright. He walked out of the kitchen and Derek decided to follow him, making sure he didn't fall. Once in his room Derek crossed to his dresser and grabbed a pair of sweats out. He walked back over to Stiles and silently handed them to the brunet.

He stared into Stiles amber eyes, wondering how a color so perfect could exist. Stiles stared back for a moment before leaning up and pressing his lips to Derek's.

The kiss was soft and sweet, innocent; something Derek hadn't experienced in a long time. He returned it just as softly, breathing in deeply through his nose, smelling only Stiles scent. He was content with just the slow slid of lips, cupping the brunet's face gently in his hands.

Derek let go when he felt Stiles pull back with a sigh of content. Derek smiled and turned to leave.

"Could you uh, could you stay?" Stiles asked. Derek cocked his head to the side as he looked at the brunet.

"I don't expect anything, I just feel safer when you're around." Stiles explained.

"Of course. I'll be right back, I need to change." Derek replied and grabbed another pair of sweats and a t-shirt out of his drawers. He went to the bathroom and changed.

Before going back he stared at his hands counting fingers. There were five on each hand and that told him he wasn't dreaming. He took a deep breath and went back to his room, finding Stiles changed and sitting on the edge of the bed.

Derek laid down on the other side of the bed and Stiles followed, curling into the alpha. Derek smiled to himself and curled an arm around Stiles pulling the brunet closer.

Derek took extreme comfort that not only could he hear Stiles' heartbeat but could feel it as well. Derek closed his eyes, not really sleeping but just relaxing with Stiles next to him until a nagging thought suddenly came to him.

"Does your dad know?" Derek asked aloud.

"About this, that'd be a bit creepy." Stiles replied.

"No about your powers." Derek amended.

"I haven't found the right time to tell him." Stiles answered.

"I know you don't like lying to him, and telling him everything would make things easier for you to be involved with the pack." Derek said.

"I know, I know. I just-"Stiles started and sighed as he covered his face with his hands.

"I don't know how he'll react to the fact that my mother and I had lied to him for years. I…I don't know if he'll want me as his son if he knows. I don't want to lose family." Stiles said, his words muffled behind his hands. Derek took a hand and tilted Stiles face to where the brunet was looking him in the eyes.

"As long as you have the pack, you'll have family….As long as I'm around you won't be alone." Derek told Stiles, speaking each word clearly so that the brunet didn't miss a word.

Stiles made a little squeak in the back of his throat before leaning forward and kissing Derek. The alpha returned the kiss for a few moments before pulling away.

"Although I wouldn't tell him about us at the same time, might overload his brain." Derek said against Stiles lips and kissing the brunet shortly before relaxing back into the pillows.

Stiles sighed and settled in Derek's arms, drifting to sleep shortly after that.

Sheriff Stilinski was shocked to learn supernatural creatures were real and that his son and late wife are a part of that world. With the help of Melissa, the Sheriff soon got over the shock and accepted his son and the magical world he lived in.

Stiles continued his lessons with Deaton when it didn't get in the way with school work. Derek would sometimes accompany the fae to his lessons and would get mysterious looks from the Emissary when he was there.

Cora kept putting off her return to Beacon Hills and finally Derek arranged things with Peter's sister in law for her to stay in New York with their cousins. Cora was happier there and Derek made her promise to visit during the holidays.

He thought he'd feel alone without his baby sister, but he soon realized that wasn't true. As long as he had the pack he had family. As long as he had Stiles, he wasn't alone.


End file.
